2026ApJ...997..131H


Query : 2026ApJ...997..131H

2026ApJ...997..131H - Astrophys. J., 997, 131 (2026/January-3)

Precision Determination of Scintillation Screen Parameters from Annual Modulation Measurement of Pulsar Scintillation Arc Curvature with the FAST Telescope.

HUANG Y., SHI X., YAO J., ZHU W. and XU Y.

Abstract (from CDS):

Pulsar scintillation observations have revealed ubiquitous discrete scintillation screens in the interstellar medium. A major obstacle in identifying the nature of these screens is the uncertainty in their distances, which prevents precise correlation with known structures in the Milky Way. We used the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope to observe PSR B1237+25, PSR 1842+14, and PSR 2021+51. We detected 10 scintillation arcs in PSR B1237+25, 1 in PSR 1842+14, and at least 6 in PSR 2021+51. By modeling the annual modulation of these scintillation arcs, we constrained the distances of the scintillation screens, as well as the anisotropic scattering directions and the projected velocities in those directions. The scintillation screens are distributed throughout the entire paths between Earth and the pulsars. Among these, the distance to the main scintillation screen toward PSR B1237+25 is $26{7}_{-28}^{+32}$ pc, the scintillation screen toward PSR B1842+14 is at a distance of $24{0}_{-120}^{+210}$ pc, and the main scintillation screen toward PSR B2021+51 is located at $88{7}_{-132}^{+167}$ pc. Several screens in our sample appear at distances coinciding with the Local Bubble boundary, particularly the brightest scintillation arc toward PSR B1237+25. We provide a substantial sample of scintillation screen measurements, revealing the rich plasma density fluctuation structures present in the Milky Way.

Abstract Copyright: © 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): Interstellar medium - Interstellar scintillation - Pulsars - Radio pulsars

Simbad objects: 7

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Number of rows : 7
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA
ICRS (J2000)
DEC
Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026
#notes
1 PSR J0437-47 Psr 04 37 15.7994581776 -47 15 08.544351636           DC 1032 0
2 V* CM Tau Psr 05 34 31.9474694616 +22 00 52.153698024           ~ 5476 0
3 PSR B1237+25 Psr 12 39 40.386 +24 53 49.87           ~ 497 1
4 PSR B1842+14 Psr 18 44 54.8946 +14 54 14.120           ~ 127 0
5 PSR B1929+10 Psr 19 32 14.0570 +10 59 33.380           ~ 801 0
6 PSR B2021+51 Psr 20 22 49.8730 +51 54 50.233           ~ 288 1
7 NAME Local Bubble ISM ~ ~           ~ 1059 0

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